I really love the time I spend with Shelby. The older she gets, the more I appreciate my relationship with her. When we are driving around town, we have the greatest chats. I was starting to miss our morning drives to school, since that's when we would do some serious talking.

My travel schedule is a little inconsistent. Some times I have weeks and weeks off where I'm not traveling at all. And then I have months were I travel three out of four weeks. I have been trying to make special effort to special one-on-one time with Shelby. Even if it's just a trip to the grocery store, she loves the chance to be with mommy all by herself. On Friday, I took Shelby to lunch where we sat and talked. When I pulled out my camera, she started hiding, blocking her face or making silly faces.

On this particular outing, Shelby informed my that she'd like to be an architect when she grows up, but that's after she's a scientist, car designer, actor, donut-store owner, actor, a magician, and a clown. The best part is that when she says this stuff, she is totally serious. She's not kidding at all. I love how her mind works and how she dreams such big and amazing dreams. She asks the best and most insightful questions that often lead to some pretty interesting discussions.

Another thing Shelby does is she'll ask you to define words she doesn't understand. I used the words acclimate, graffiti and speculate ... all of which Shelby didn't understand. After I told her what those words meant, she started dropping the words into conversation later in the day. She is beyond smart. I really am proud of her and how bright and engaged she is ... she is a firecracker!